A city with (beer) style

There were times when the beer brewed in any city was essentially a beer style typical of the area.  However, over time, that largely ceased to be the case as our foodstuffs and luxuries developed.  A mere handful of major cities can now claim to have given birth to a beer style.  Austria’s federal capital—which is actually in wine country—is one of them.

Although Vienna currently only has one big brewery, the city has a long and proud brewing history.  It began with a charitable purpose.  Beer was originally brewed and served on the orders of the “Bürgerspital,” which was the city’s ancient nursing home.  But wine and beer always went well together in Vienna—and it was in fact the “Pyrglöckel” or beer bell of St. Stephan’s Cathedral that used to chime to tell beer lovers it was time to head home.

Global success driven by brewing innovation

Around 1840, Anton Dreher made his mark as a particularly innovative Viennese master brewer in his brewery just outside the city.  He combined the English malting technique with Bavarian bottom-fermentation.  The result was a kind of malt that is still known internationally as “Vienna malt.”  For over 175 years, it has been used to brew a beer style known as Vienna lager.  In recent years in particular, Vienna lager has gained a new popularity that has surprised even connoisseurs.  It is amber, malty and balanced in its bitterness.  It already gave Vienna an international reputation as a brewing city back in the 19^th century, when Vienna lager was one of the monarchy’s flagship beers alongside pilsner.  Today, beers from Vienna—and not just Vienna lagers—are still winning international awards.